[1][2] Fire Burning in Snow has a duration of roughly 11 minutes and is composed in three movements set to the poems of Nicki Jackowska, which Bray described as "a collection portraying lost love and a search for a way forward from this 'place'.
"[1] The movements are thus titled: The work is scored for solo mezzo-soprano and a chamber ensemble comprising oboe/cor anglais, B-flat clarinet/bass clarinet, violin, and cello.
Reviewing the world premiere, Fiona Maddocks of The Guardian praised Fire Burning in Snow and said it "was vividly delivered by mezzo-soprano Lucy Schaufer, who even wore red shoes to match a line in Nicki Jackowska's poems.
"[2] George Loomis of The New York Times also lauded the work, writing:The music has an austerity that suits the poems, yet an emotional current runs through the cool yet singable vocal lines that allows the singer to express the feelings behind the sometimes cryptic words.
[3]Richard Whitehouse of Gramophone said the piece "sets poems by Nicki Jackowska whose focusing on lost love elicits a fervent response and the most tenuous of emotional resolutions.